The present invention relates generally to lights for exterior rearview mirrors of vehicles and, more particularly, to an illumination device which may be easily installed to the rearview mirror assembly.
It is known to install lights on or within exterior rearview mirror assemblies of vehicles. The lights may be turn signals, brake lamps, security lighting systems or the like. Typically, such lights require access to the illumination source (such as incandescent bulbs or the like) for ease of service and also require that detachable electrical connection be made to the vehicle electric. An example of a prior art incandescent bulb holder is shown in FIG. 1.
The prior art bulb holder 2 comprises a mounting portion 3, which typically receives or mounts a bulb 7, such as an incandescent bulb, a fluorescent bulb, or the like. One or more wires 4 extend from electrical terminals within mounting portion 3 and outwardly therefrom. Wires 4 typically individually terminate in individual connectors 5 (although they may terminate in a connector block or multi-pin connector). For example, the wires 4 may be twisted or pig-tailed together with a single pin connector 5 at the end of each wire, as shown in FIG. 1. The single pin connectors 5 are individually connected to a vehicle wiring or mirror wire harness 6 to provide electrical power or control to the lights from the vehicle interior. The individual wires and/or connectors extending from the bulb holder can add cost and assembly complications in manufacture, since the wires must be soldered, clamped or otherwise secured to bulb terminals or contacts within the bulb holders. Furthermore, the point of entry/exit of wires 4 into bulb holder 3 can be routes of water, dirt, and/or contaminant or the like ingress, potentially leading to part deterioration.